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# [SERVER] Wish list--tick charging for built-ins

- Date: Sun, 22 Sep 1996 14:03:02 PDT
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    It would be nice if there were provisions for built-in functions to charge
    a variable number of ticks to the executing task.  Why?  Well, it's nice
    to implement some of the most computationally intensive functions as
    server builtins because they're faster than byte-code interpreted code.
    At the same time, it doesn't make sense that, for example, a call to
    server_version() costs the same number of ticks as say, a call to a
    built-in list_assoc() on a 100-element list that doesn't find a match.
    Relying on tasks running out of seconds is bad; 3 seconds is an awful
    large amount of the server's time for one task, really, and plus
    preventing a task time-out is much harder than preventing a task tick-out
    (from the programmer's point of view.)  It's true that it's more difficult
    to know where all your ticks are going if a built-in function can use an
    unknown number, but I think on balance this is a win for programmers.

    Implementing this should be relatively simple -- just add
    ticks_remaining() and charge_ticks() functions to the interface on
    execute.h.  Only built-ins that want to charge ticks above the normal
    number for a built-in need to use the functions.

    Comments, anyone?

      --Chris                           cunkel@engin.umich.edu
        ResComp Network Support Technician, Bursley Hall
        "Invisibility is in the eye of the beholder."
        Home Page: http://www-personal.engin.umich.edu/~cunkel/

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